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Ventrra Invaders 2002
Background At the time of its release, Megamania was one of the very few bottom of the screen shooters for the Atari 2600 where objects that the player(s) had to shoot down had their attack patterns change with every new enemy that was introduced. And rather than the common sci-fi theme where players faced aliens and/or spaceships, a more whimsical route was taken this time around, as players faced the everyday items of Hamburgers, Bow Ties, Steam Irons, etc. instead. Ventrra Invaders 2002 is a hack of Megamania, with the player's(/s') mobile blaster being changed, plus the objects (enemies) were changed into space invaders and a U. F. O. Gameplay Players control a blaster at the bottom of the screen as various space invaders appear overhead (along with a wave of U. F. O.s). Their attack patterns vary, as enemies can horizontally scroll from the left to the right side of the screen, although with every other wave, others (such as the second space invaders wave) can travel horizontally for a few seconds, then dip down closer to the player’s(/s’) blaster(s) and reverse direction. Also, if not all of these enemies are destroyed by the time they reach the bottom of the screen, they will reappear at the top. Once players face all enemies and make it past the final eighth wave of invaders, the game will start back over at the first wave, but at a higher level of difficulty, as attack patterns will change, such as the enemies that moved downwards from the top of the screen (like the aforementioned second wave invaders) will dive down this time around, the eighth wave invaders will no longer travel straight down vertically any more, but at about a 45 degree angle, etc. And if players can make it through this cycle a second time, dive-bombing enemies begin traveling even faster towards the bottom of the screen, along with their shots moving faster as well. Players also have a certain amount of time that will constantly drain during a wave (which is represented by an energy bar at the bottom of the screen), which, if the bar becomes totally depleted, the player will lose that blaster. Successfully completing a wave will recharge the bar though. If a player’s(s’) blaster comes in contact with any enemy or their missiles, they will also lose a blaster and the game will end if there are no remaining blasters in reserve. Game/fire variations Games 1-2 allows players to guide missiles after they have been fired, which game two is for two players alternating turns. Games 3-4 allows players to fire straight missiles (with game four being for two players), although players have to press the controller button every time they want to shoot, as holding down the button to fire does not work in these variations as they do for games 1-2. The players’ firing rate can also be slowed down by setting the Difficulty Switch(es) in the A position. Controls, startup *Select game–Game Select switch *Start game–Game Reset switch (in-game) *Move blaster–Joystick (left/right only) *Steer missile–Joystick (games 1-2) *Fire–button *Change difficulty level–Difficulty Switch Scoring *Wave one invader–20 points *Wave two invader–30 points *Wave three invader–40 points *Wave four invader–50 points *Wave five invader–60 points *U. F. O.–70 points *Wave seven invader–80 points *Wave eight invader–90 points *All objects after first cycle–90 points each *Extra blaster–Every 10,000 points *Bonus points at end of wave–Each leftover time unit is worth current enemy point value Changes with hack The blaster has been changed, objects have been changed into various space invaders and a U. F. O. from the game, the Activision logo was changed to saying "Venturra Invaders" until a game is started, which it is then shortened to "Invaders". Trivia The original Atari 2600 cartridge came in a picture and blue label, the latter of which is a bit more rare. This version is a ROM file to be played on flashcarts or Atari emulators only. Links Atari Age page for Ventrra Invaders 2002, with additional screenshots and ROM Category:Atari 2600 BOTSS Category: Hacked BOTSS Category:Freeware BOTSS Category:Games